I remember hearing Jacques Loussier for the first time and really enjoying
the keen sense of fun that he managed to extract from Bach and encouraging
the listener to hear the mighty 18th century composer in a
different but nevertheless still reverent way. Others have also followed
Loussier’s trailblazing path by re-examining other classical composers
through a jazz prism. Now it is Dave Gordon’s turn. I was hugely impressed
with Gordon’s disc Dave Gordon Trio speaks Latin and really need
to hunt out his other three discs that came before that. For this disc he
has focussed his attention on an unlikely subject, the composer-pianist and
synaesthete Alexander Scriabin who once famously proclaimed “I am God”. To
some Scriabin’s music is beyond reach, too ‘other worldly’, too complex or
simply too ‘academic’. Once acquired, however, a taste for Scriabin is
extremely rewarding, in fact infectious and who knows perhaps Dave Gordon
can be the portal through which people who otherwise would remain
unconvinced can find their way to Scriabin.

Raiding my CD shelves I cannot unfortunately compare all the original works
with Gordon’s reworkings but there are some I can, including the opening
piece the second prelude of the seven Scriabin wrote in 1914, intended to
form part of his Prefatory Action to his gigantic Mysterium which he laboured over for 12 years but left incomplete
on his death in 1915. This self-penned description of how the entire work
would have been brought off gives some idea of his unusual take on the
world: "There will not be a single spectator. All will be participants. The
work requires special people, special artists and a completely new culture.
The cast of performers includes an orchestra, a large mixed choir, an
instrument with visual effects, dancers, a procession, incense, and
rhythmic textural articulation. The cathedral in which it will take place
will not be of one single type of stone but will continually change with
the atmosphere and motion of the Mysterium. This will be done with the aid
of mists and lights, which will modify the architectural contours." He
intended this “happening” to take place during a whole week in the
foothills of the Himalayas after which the world would end and the human
race replaced by ‘nobler beings’. If he had lived to see what devastation
the First World War wrought he would have been even more firmly convinced
in his view that replacement was urgent. Dave Gordon weaves a seven minute
piece from something that takes pianist Vladimir Feltsman less than a
minute and a half to play. Marked Very slow, contemplative this
tiny prelude is mysteriously ethereal and Gordon maintains that atmosphere
and expands it and with the aid of electric guitar with manipulated note
bending and some other electronic wizardry the strange nature of Scriabin
is firmly established.

There could hardly be a more contrasting piece than what follows which is a
real tongue-in-cheek reimagining of Irving Berlin’sAlexander’s Ragtime Band to become Alexander’s Scriabin’s Ragtime Band with witty words that include
‘His name was sash, he’s the one with the small hands and the ‘tache’
and
‘And if you wanna hear Scriabin’s music played as written then you’d
better go, leave the show to Alexander’s Scriabin’s Ragtime Band’
. Great fun and a nice interlude after the mystery invoked in the first
piece and the next entitled Scriabin’s depressed which takes as
its point of departure Scriabin’s Prelude op.51, No.2 missing from
my collection but is a nice typical jazz number which shows how good
Gordon’s trio can be when they release themselves of any narrower
restraint. Another fun piece follows with a jazz version of Debussy’s Gollywog’s Cakewalk included simply to point up the fact that
Scriabin was apparently dismissive of Debussy though despite this that,
according to Dave Gordon, both composers could have their ‘Wagner’ moments.
It would have been fascinating had Scriabin created his version of it to
show Debussy ‘how it should have been done’.

Dave Gordon explains that the Prelude for Both Hands which comes
out of Scriabin’s Prelude for the left hand. op.9, no.2 was their
impetus for the entire album. He says that the original ‘gave up its inner
tango’ though I haven’t seen one done quite so slowly but as a piece for
jazz trio it’s a sure winner. Another winner is his reworking of Scriabin’s Etude No.12 from his op.8 which emerges from Gordon’s pen as a
Cuban-style rumba; Gordon wonders how that happened but it is obvious to me
for it certainly ‘gave up’ its inner rumba while I listened to the original
and this is the one that is most recognisably Scriabin who shines through
Gordon’s jazz prism and justifies the whole album for me.

The next piece is a jazz version of Antonio Maria Romeu’s own composition
and, like Irving Berlin’s song and the Debussy work plus one other piece,
is included as an accompanying ‘timeline’ seeing as they all emerged around
1915, the year Scriabin died (from blood poisoning from a septic pimple on
his upper lip caused by shaving). It is a real fun piece that bounces along
in an infectious way and can’t help bring a smile to your face. Regrettably
I also do not possess Scriabin’s Prelude op.56, no.3 because I
would love to know what pointed Dave Gordon to a blues in ‘doo wop shuffle’
style; he says it is the dominant seventh chords a fourth apart but I’d
like to hear it for myself. As it is it is another enjoyable little jazz
romp. Gordon’s reimagining of Scriabin’s Mazurka op.25, no.3 gives
us a melancholy choro which is a beautifully plaintive little piece.

The next item is by Francisco Canaro whose El Pollito was his
watershed moment and which established him firmly on the Buenos Aires scene
for the rest of his career. The Andante from Scriabin’s Sonata no.4, op.30is given one of Gordon’s radical
treatments and Gordon writes that he detected in this sonata the
inspiration behind Bill Evans’ ‘left hand rootless voicing’. It is
certainly the most laid back and dreamy piece on the disc giving Gordon the
idea of exploiting its nature to the full in a delightfully gentle piece to
emphasise its “breathless exuberance and sheer romantic gorgeousness”,
enough said!

Improbable hip
is Gordon’s title for his take on Scriabin’s Prelude op.67, no.2
marked Presto which is despatched in a mere 48 seconds on my disc
played by Evgeny Zarafiants while Dave weaves a fulsome 6 minutes 50 out of
it emerging as a fast paced number with a good deal of insistently repeated
chords from Dave’s piano accompanied by percussive drumming from Paul
Cavaciuti and Jonty Fisher’s anchoring bass. Brief as the original is the
main theme is used throughout the jazz version and is detectable
throughout; I must say it is really fascinating where it is possible to do
as I did and compare the original with Dave’s and see where he got his
ideas from.

There follows another South American piece, this time by the improbably
named Pixinguinha (real name Alfredo da Rocha Viana, Jr.) whose mastery of
choro music and rumba amongst others was becoming firmly rooted in his
native Brazil around 1915 when he was a mere 18 years old showing what a
prodigious talent he was and which is amply demonstrated by his Passinha another delightfully mournful little piece. The last
track on the disc is given over to a reworking of Scriabin’s Mazurka, op.25, no.4, another missing from my collection and in
Dave Gordon’s version becomes his River which meanders its way
through almost 8 gorgeous minutes during which Dave Gordon’s light touch is
a significant feature; this is a languid, gently flowing river rather than
any turbulent rushing torrent. Beautifully paced this is a fitting end to a
thoroughly enjoyable and totally imaginative view of a unique musical voice
from the turn of the 19th century who has clearly woven his
spell on a 21st century jazz pianist of immense talent and
originality. Dave’s two regular trio members who provide essential backing
are joined on one number each by Calum heath on guitar and Yaron Stavi on
bass. The whole project is so rewarding and I urge lovers of Scriabin to
give it a go and for jazz lovers to see if it encourages them to explore
Scriabin; for people like me who adore both it is a real win-win situation!